MED Communication Handbook - Programme Med

Vocal delivery
Speak clearly, correctly and conversationally: don’t put on a performance. A
presenter’s voice should sound like private speech, but exaggerated to fill the room.
Vary your voice for interest and emphasis. Try to eliminate useless space-filling
sounds and phrases: Um. Er. You know. I mean. So to speak. Etcetera. Speak
loudly enough for everyone to hear, and loudly enough to sound especially
confident: usually louder than normal speech. Broadcast your voice to the furthest
corners of the room; you will naturally keep your head up and open your mouth
wide.
Speak at a rate the audience can follow, which is typically a little slower than in
normal conversation. In any case, being loud and enunciating distinctly will require
more pauses for breath. Go more slowly than you think you need to, particularly
with as adrenalin tends to speed us up. Your audience need the time to assimilate
and interpret what you are saying. Practise words that are unfamiliar or easy to
stumble over. Change and movement are interesting, so vary your voice.
Vary your pitch to convey interest and confidence.
Vary your rate of speaking to establish a mood or add emphasis. Slowly sounds
thoughtful or deliberate, or imparts a sense of drama. Speaking fast shows
excitement and activity.
Vary your volume: raise or lower for effect, usually for a punch-line or attention
grabber before something important.
Visuals
Good visual and audio-visual aids can enhance a presentation to the extent that
studies have found increases in information retention of up to 50 percent. Bad
visual aids can make a presentation unbearably tedious. One major risk is that the
presenter becomes secondary to the slides. Do not narrate your PowerPoint. It
should not duplicate your verbal presentation. Do not use it as a prompt or script
for your own presentation: that is the purpose of private speech notes. Speak to
the audience, not the screen: the visuals should support the speaker, not vice
versa. Resist stock clipart. The principle returns that nothing should distract from
you and your message. Do not use too many slides.
Use visuals to give a big picture quickly: graphics, pictures, cartoons, bar charts,
and key words. Use your own words to elaborate. Visuals should be simple, clear,
and with a defined purpose: to support the presenter. They should be large enough
to be seen by the whole room. Text should be brief and minimal: single words and
phrases. While there is text on the screen, the audience will be reading it, not
listening to you. Clear, simple pictures, graphs, charts and illustrations are most
effective. Do not crowd the screen: use lots of white space. Animations and reveals
should be subtle and used for particular effect. Maintain styles and continuity
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� Factsheet 12: Presentations and Speeches
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